• Mnachester United manager praises player but hits out at Phil Jones’s Uefa ban • Midfielder plays 45 minutes in 2-1 friendly win over Sampdoria José Mourinho has labelled his new signing Nemanja Matic “a genius” after the midfielder made his Manchester United debut in Dublin. Matic started for...

Antonio Conte has said he wants to avoid a Mourinho-style second season following Chelsea’s title triumph, something he should manage to achieve Guardian writers’ predicted position 2nd (NB: this is not necessarily Dominic Fifield’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s p...

Matic is a classic José Mourinho second-season purchase who should bring the midfield stability and control the manager seeks and allow Paul Pogba to shine Six months into his first season back at Chelsea , José Mourinho had identified three key areas in which his team were deficient. Hindsight s...

• Serbian midfielder reunites with José Mourinho at Old Trafford • Matic is United’s third signing of summer after Lindelof and Lukaku Manchester United have completed the purchase of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea on a three-year deal, with an option to extend for a further year. Matic’s signing rep...

• Jones banned for two European games over conduct after Europa League final • United’s Daley Blind fined over reluctance to take a drug test at same game Phil Jones has been banned for two matches and Daley Blind fined by Uefa after the Manchester United pair were found guilty of breaching the g...

Today’s rumours have their tin hat on Well, this is awkward. After yesterday’s act of gross insubordination , in which the Rumour Mill poured scorn on the futility and utter pointlessness of its own existence, here we are at the start of another week, surveying the football landscape to see what’...

• Valerenga 0-3 Manchester United • Marouane Fellaini gives reminder of skills despite being linked to move Romelu Lukaku scored as Manchester United beat Valerenga 3-0 in Oslo in the penultimate match of their summer tour. Marouane Fellaini, who has been linked with a move away from Manchester,...

American fans flock to the International Champions Cup but there is concern that while enriching top European clubs it may not be helping the US domestic game On Saturday night a sellout crowd of 66, 014 spectators footed between $240 (£183) and $3, 500 (£2, 665) to watch a pre-season friendly be...

• Juventus keen on Matic but midfielder wants to link up with José Mourinho • Galatasaray set for talks with United over buying Marouane Fellaini Manchester United are poised to complete the purchase of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea and are due to hold talks with Galatasaray at the start of the week...

• Arsenal 5-2 Benfica • Inter manager rules out Ivan Perisic transfer to Manchester United Arsenal beat Benfica 5-2 on the opening day of the Emirates Cup. One of the standout performances came from Sead Kolasinac, the free transfer who looked powerful on the flank and used the ball shrewdly in t...

• Croatian winger had been linked with a move to Manchester United • Spalletti: there has been ‘no significant contact’ from other clubs Internazionale coach Luciano Spalletti insists that Ivan Perisic will remain at the San Siro next season, despite the Croatian winger being linked to Manchester...

• Baines already impressed by Rooney’s contribution since signing • Full-back warns it will be tough to close gap on top four Leighton Baines believes Wayne Rooney will be a key influence on Everton’s pursuit of a first trophy since 1995 but that there remains a gap between the Premier League’s l...

Mourinho is apparently a happy manager and can be delighted with Lukaku’s start but expect frustration if at least one more signing is not made swiftly Tottenham Hotspur are “big favourites” for the Premier League while Manchester United have only a fighting chance and are inferior to Real Madrid...

Today’s rumours are flighty If Kylian Mbappé flaps his wings, will he create an extraordinary front of hot air around Old Trafford? That was the main imponderable on the Mill’s lips this morning upon the news that Gareth Bale could be Manchester United -bound if the Monaco speedster gets his poss...

The striker received the loudest ovation of Everton’s players and the chants of his name during the Europa League tie were a far cry from the vitriol of 12 years ago A slender win and subdued display against the third-best team in last season’s Slovakian Fortuna Liga was not how Wayne Rooney envi...

• Everton 1-0 Ruzomberok • Baines 65 New-look Everton’s latest European campaign got off to only a stuttering start, though at least Leighton Baines’s second-half goal gives them a slender advantage to try to hold on to in Slovakia next week. There were several promising debuts as well, though Wa...

• Portuguese prefers Manchester United not to be compared to Spanish giants • ‘United are much more adapted to the hard competition of the Premier League’ José Mourinho believes Paul Pogba is one the few Manchester United players at the same level as Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the manager sa...

The Manchester United manager José Mourinho said he is pleased with his side’s showing during the club’s US tour despite losing to Barcelona in Maryland on Wednesday. The manager highlighted the fact that United competed with both Barça and Real Madrid during the US trip. Mourinho and his squad h...

In a highly competitive field it is almost impossible to split Vieira’s move and Manchester United’s purchase of Roy Keane but the Frenchman edges it for redefining what the style of a Premier League midfielder could look like Sometimes, end-of-era curtain calls happen without the necessary fanfa...

Barcelona 1-0 Manchester United Neymar’s goal just after the half-hour mark settles friendly Manchester United closed their pre-season tour of America on a dissonant note by losing this fifth outing in what was a pedestrian showing from José Mourinho’s outfit. The manager has serially stressed re...